MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Today, ZTR Control Systems, a leader in control systems for locomotive modernization and equipment monitoring, announced a new contract with DB Schenker Rail, Germany. ZTR will supply over 300 SmartStart® Automatic Engine Start-Stop systems to DB Schenker Rail, Germany by early 2015. The contract calls for systems that are EN50155 certified, as required by European railway standards. The deal was signed at InnoTrans 2014 on September 23, 2014 and installation on DB Schenker’s BR294 locomotive fleet has already begun.

With the cost of fuel continually on the rise, railways are increasingly looking to improve fuel consumption. SmartStart® AESS systems do just that. By reducing locomotive idling, SmartStart cuts both fuel consumption and emissions.

According to Matthew Scott, General Manager at ZTR Control Systems, “ZTR is excited to be working with such a world-class company as DB Schenker Rail. Smartstart® will manage and reduce idle time for DBSR, leading to significant fuel savings and other operational benefits.”

Not only does SmartStart® provide reporting to document emissions reduction, but it records fuel savings (gallons/liters of fuel) while it is working. Take, for example, a Class 1 Railroad which has saved 264,225 gallons of fuel on one locomotive since implementing SmartStart in 1994—that’s over 16,000 gallons of fuel saved each year! With over 7,000 installations, SmartStart can be applied to just about any locomotive—from relay logic to microprocessor—regardless of manufacturer, model, age, or usage.

The deal between the two companies is just another example of how ZTR, the industry leader in AESS systems, has been helping to reduce environmental impact of locomotives for over 20 years.